The year’s 1170 and Leonardo, a young boy from Italy, visits Algeria and returns writing a treatise on Arabic math. Europe embraces 1-2-3- 4-5 instead of the Roman numeral system the continent had been laboring under. Way to go Leo. He also formulates a numeric sequence revealing why a nautilus shell spirals and explaining a few thousand other mysteries of nature. Much of Europe called him “the traveler from Pisa.” His family name was Bonacci, but a historian in the 1800s called him Filius Bonacci or the “son of Bonacci.” Leonardo never heard this name, nor did he realize it would get abbreviated to who we know now as Fibonacci. The master mathematician who gifted us with the Fibonacci sequence. Trends and a history lesson…check that off the list.
Where the designer in us picks this story up is in just how essential this little equation of adding each number to the prior to obtain a sequence of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21 and so on… plays out in design. Considering it defines the golden ratio and helps us understand nature from the atom to celestial bodies–we’re in good stead leaning on it to build a logo or two. The resulting spiral is most associated with the cross section of a nautilus shell. The pure simplicity of this shape derived from such a divine formula of nature allows it to fairly represent depth with simple beauty. Concepts as complex as Replay’s genomic sequencing or representing infinite sources of energy such as wind, for EDP, are easily achieved. You’re sure to earn bonus points from a client now able to work Fibonacci into their elevator pitch.
DESIGN AGENCY: NATE PERRY DESIGNCLIENT: SCALED FINANCE
DESIGN AGENCY: PENTAGRAMCLIENT: EDP
DESIGN AGENCY: ORTEGA GRAPHICSCLIENT: STRELLARIS
DESIGN AGENCY: KOTOCLIENT: REPLAY
